Page 52 of Wilde Abandon
If Fox saw it, he ignored it.
Melody tried to excuse it.Maybe the comment was for her, not Fox, and she raised a brow at him when they were finally alone.“Is there, or was there ever, something between you two?”
Fox caught himself from taking a step back.“No.Not now.Not ever.She works for me.”
“Apparently I will, too, when I teach this class.”
He held up his hands.“Not the same.Amy and I met casually at a business meeting and then a charity event several years ago.Since then, I’ve used the company she works for to cater business events, meetings, and a few things I’ve hosted at my place.I always request her because we’re…not really friends.We don’t hang out, outside of those things, but we are friendly acquaintances.She knows what I like and understands what I want.”
Melody raised a brow at that comment.
He huffed.“Not like that.Nothing like that.No.Clients appreciate a little wining and dining.It’s part of doing business.She’s a great chef.I can tell her what the event is, if there’s a theme, and she puts the menu together.That’s all.She’s personable and usually professional.So when I was looking for a chef to teach here, I hired her.While she is…interested, there’s nothing going on between us.”His hands dropped to his sides.“And I can’t believe you’d think that when we’ve been seeing each other for months.”The hurt in his eyes pinched her heart.
“Our online relationship wasn’t the same as what we have now.”
He took a step closer and cupped her face.“Now I have everything I ever wanted.And it’s not Amy.Never was.”He pressed his forehead to hers.“All I think about, all I see, is you.”
Well, wasn’t that just the most amazing thing anyone had ever said to her?
She hooked her hands on his wrists.“I’m sorry.”
He kissed her softly.“Don’t be.You’re jealous.That means you care.”And apparently it didn’t bother him that she was, in fact, jealous as hell.
“You know I do.”
He grinned, amusement in his eyes.“Yeah, but it does my ego good to know even you get jealous.”
She cocked her head.“What does that mean?Even me?”
“No other woman holds a candle to you, yet Amy’s friendliness—”
“Came off as you two having a close relationship.”
“Why would you think that?”He still didn’t get it.
“Why would she think you’d tell her about me teaching a class here?”
He brushed his thumb over her cheek.“I don’t know.”
“Why was she touching you like—”
“I won’t let it happen again.”He brushed his hand over her hair, soothing her.“It bothers you, so I won’t let her or any other woman touch me.”
She let her head drop back and rolled her eyes at the ceiling.“I’m being ridiculous.”
He pulled her head forward so they were eye to eye.“No, you’re not.Because if some guy put his hands on you, I’d make him stop.”
She had a feeling the guy would lose his hands based on the look on Fox’s face.And she felt the same way.In the moment, she’d wanted to rip Amy’s hands away from Fox.
And hadn’t he made it clear to Josh at the bar the other night to keep his hands off her?Yeah, she remembered that now.
Fox’s gaze turned thoughtful.“I don’t like it when she or others are so touchy-feely.”
“Why?”
“Because when you grow up with little to no affection, it’s weird when someone so casually touches you, because you’re always looking for a threat or their angle.”
Her shoulders sagged.“Fox.I hope you don’t feel that way when I touch you.”